Lingchuan Longyan Temple

　　Longyan Temple (Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

　　Era: Jin and Ming Dynasties

　　Address: Liangquan Village, Liyi Town, 10 kilometers west of Lingchuan County

　　The founding date is unknown. According to inscriptions in the temple, it was originally named Longquan Temple and served as a place where local people prayed for rain and blessings. In the second year of the Zongzhang era of the Tang Dynasty (669 AD), it was called Longyan Temple, with “furniture cast in gold to make statues” inside the hall. In the seventh year of the Tianhui era of the Jin Dynasty (1129 AD), the monk Huiyao oversaw the construction of the front hall, and in the ninth year of Tianhui (1131 AD), the Dharma Hall was expanded. In the second year of the Dading era (1162 AD), it was renamed “Longyan Temple.” In the eighth year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1580 AD), large-scale renovations and repairs were carried out. The existing front hall structure dates back to the Jin Dynasty, while the rest are Ming Dynasty constructions.

　　The temple faces south and is divided into upper and lower courtyards, covering a total area of 1,832 square meters. The two courtyards are connected by steps, each built on a raised platform. Along the central axis are, in sequence: the mountain gate (only the foundation remains), the front hall, and the main hall. On the east and west sides are watchtowers, side halls, and meditation rooms.

　　The main structure of the temple, the front hall, was built in the seventh year of the Tianhui era of the Jin Dynasty (1129 AD). It is three bays wide and three bays deep, square in plan, with a single-eave, hanging-hip roof, covered with gray clay tiles. The brick platform in front of the hall is 0.9 meters high. The central bay of the front eaves has a door, while the side bays have windows. The surrounding columns are stone, with lotus-petal-patterned, inverted-bowl-shaped bases. Below the eaves, the bracket sets are of a single type, with the front and rear having single brackets on each side and the side having double brackets. After the main structure of the front hall was completed, subsequent renovations continued over time.

　　In front of the main hall, there are two Jin Dynasty steles preserved. One dates from the 25th year of the Dading era (1185 AD), and the other from the third year of the Tianhui era (1163 AD). They document the historical evolution of Longyan Temple. The inscriptions on the steles feature a variety of scripts—including cursive, seal, clerical, regular, and running scripts—written with fluid strokes and carved with exquisite craftsmanship, possessing significant calligraphic and artistic value.